The Federal Reserve left interest rates steady on Wednesday, though two policymakers voted in favor of a cut. Fed chief Powell cited elevated uncertainty and "two-sided risk" as reasons to wait. Markets now see a 45% chance of a September rate cut, down from 63% on Tuesday.

Stock index futures rose on Thursday, with Nasdaq futures leading the charge, as Meta and Microsoft impressed investors with their quarterly results.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% and is just above the record high it set on Monday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was mostly unchanged as of 12:01 p.m. Eastern.

The S&P 500 Index ($SPX) (SPY) today is up +0.60%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index ($DOWI) (DIA) is up +0.30%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index ($IUXX) (QQQ) is up +0.70%. September E-mini S&P futures (ESU25) are up +0.

US stock indices the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq opened at record highs on Thursday on solid earnings from Microsoft and Meta Platforms. At the opening bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 204.5 points,

Shares of Microsoft finished up 4% at $533.50, an all-time closing high, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Microsoft closed with a market cap of $3.966 trillion, just short of j